Shadows and Fog (1991) User Reviews

Style Over Substance

[MatBrewster · 8/10 · 21 April 2005]

Woody Allen's tribute to German expressionism is better than most critics would have you believe. Sure there is very little plot to speak of, it's more a series of vignettes and gags than a cohesive narrative. Sure, it ends rather abruptly, never solving the mystery, but none of this stopped my thorough enjoyment of this film.

As the title suggests the entire movie is designed in shadows and fog. Shot with beautiful black and white photography, Allen and cinematographer Carlo Di Palma create the look and feel of an unnamed East European city as seen in such films as M and Nosferatu. The lighting is set up so that in nearly every shot underlying shadows engulf the scene. In the exteriors a vicious fog rolls across the night sky obscuring most details. Through the fog bumbles Kleinman (Allen is his typical neurotic schmuck role) trying to find his role in a vigilante mob's plan to stop a serial killer roaming the streets. From dark night until dawn, Kleinman wanders from place to place meeting a wide variety of curious characters (played by an even more curious group of celebrities), the most endearing of which is a desperate sword swallower (Mia Farrow)who is has wandered into a brothel after fleeing her cheating boyfriend/clown (John Malcovich).

It is a little unsettling to watch Allen do his normal schtick while the characters around him are murdered, subjected to racial prejudice, beaten by the police and discuss such subjects as love, sex, and meaning. There is a subtext involving the plight of the Jews between the World Wars, foreshadowing the Nazis. Yet the gags remain as solid as any Woody Allen film. Amongst the seriousness of his subtext and the films he is paying homage to, Allen finds away to bring full bellied laughter. Though his quirky neurosis isn't as resolutely hilarious as it is in such films as Annie Hall, it is still enough to fill the film with mirth.

The film ends rather abruptly with Kleinman having never learned his role in the plan, nor the killer having been caught. Yet as the credits role we realize the mystery was not so much the reason behind the story as method in creating it.

Shadows and Fog (1992) ***

[JoeKarlosi · 7/10 · 23 January 2005]

I made the big mistake of avoiding this for years based on all the garbage I'd heard slammed against it, and as a result it was one of the last Woody Allen movies I got around to seeing. Well, it was worth waiting for, as it turned out to be a real treat. This is one of Allen's strangest works, probably his signature stab at a horror spoof. The black and white moody photography is compelling, modeled after the dark German expressionistic films of Murnau and Fritz Lang, as well as a hearkening back to those delightful old horror and Sherlock Holmes films from Universal Studios.

The action is set in an un-named village in an unknown time and place, but it's patterned after the early 20th Century, with a hint of Germany or even London. True to form, Allen plays a dweeb who is awoken at midnight by an angry mob demanding that he assist them in tracking down a Jack-the-Ripper-like serial murderer who's prowling the streets. He half-heartedly gets dressed and ventures out into the moonlit fog, unsure of just what's expected from him while he manages a few good one-liner's in his apprehension ("they say the killer has the strength of 10 men; I have the strength of one small boy -- with polio").

There are guest stars galore, some of whom have very small parts but are fun to watch anyway. A traveling circus in town consists of a female sword swallower (Mia Farrow) and her clown husband (John Malkovich) who is having an affair with the Strongman's pretty wife (Madonna). When Farrow catches the two of them in a caravan together, she storms out alone into the dark and is taken in by a street walker (Lily Tomlin) who lets her unwind inside her brothel with the rest of the whores (two of which are played by Kathy Bates and Jodie Foster). Some of the finest moments in the film come within the whorehouse, complimented by philosophical discussion and interesting camera-work. It's there that a wealthy young patron (John Cusack) fancies Mia and coaxes her into bed for one night. Her ultimate guilt over the encounter leads her back into the dense fog, until she meets up (predictably) with Woody. Also in small roles are Donald Pleasence in good form as a mad coroner who wants to analyze the essence of the killer's "evil" (possibly playing on his involvement in the HALLOWEEN films) and a wasted turn by Fred Gwynne (don't blink or you'll miss him) as one of the villagers.

SHADOWS AND FOG is flawed to be sure (there are a lot of loose ends remaining untied for one thing) but it's visually appealing and rich in atmosphere and the language of the night. I enjoyed it. *** out of ****

A different kind of film from Woody Allen

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 15 September 2006]

"Shadows and Fog" is Woody Allen's tribute to German Expressionism, and it's very interesting, often funny, and at times downright strange. He gives no indication of the setting or time, and as is often true with Allen, there's a serious undertone. His nebishy character, Kleinman, is woken up in the middle of the night in his home for reasons having to do with a serial killer at large. Poor Kleinman doesn't know exactly what he has to do with anything, but as he puts it, everything seems to know what he's supposed to be doing but him. Across town, Mia Farrow is the circus performer Irmy, who finds out her boyfriend (John Malkovich) is cheating on her, so she leaves him. She winds up in a brothel with some real characters played by Lily Tomlin, Kathy Bates, and Jodie Foster. A client (John Cusack) declares himself in love with Mia and offers her money to sleep with him. When it gets up to $700, she accepts. Later she meets Kleinman and sends him to the church to donate all but $50. The priest is impressed, and the police cross Kleinman's name off the list of suspects. Then they meet a beggar, and she sends Kleinman back for half the money. Kleinman's name goes back on the list of suspects.

Yes, it's an odd but fascinating film. The atmosphere is bizarre, very German - dark, bleak, and foggy, with a scary serial killer out of "M." Big stars float in and out of the film, like Madonna, some with tiny roles. The funniest scene is when Kleinman tries to hide out at his ex-girlfriend's (Julie Kavner) who calls him every name in the book and then tries to turn him in.

Kleinman is an innocent man caught in confusing circumstances and times, not sure which side he should be on - there are two factions trying to catch this killer, and both attempt to recruit him - and all the poor guy wants is a promotion at his job. Though his reactions are often amusing, imagine being awoken by the police in the middle of the night and having no idea what it's about. It's happened, though, as it happens in the film. As Kleinman wanders the streets, unsure of where he's going, we can relate.

A very love-it-or-hate-it film and middling Allen, but actually a good film and one of his most under-appreciated

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 11 July 2014]

On first viewing I wasn't crazy about Shadows and Fog, while the film looked fantastic and was well-directed the characters left me cold, the film didn't seem to know what tone it wanted and the story seemed meandering and dull. On re-watch however Shadows and Fog fared much better(as was with almost all the Allen films that didn't impress at first apart from Anything Else), it is nowhere near among Woody Allen's best and is around the lower middle of his filmography but I found it a good film and not among Allen's worst that it's often said to be. Visually, Shadows and Fog looks fantastic with brilliant black and white cinematography and Expressionistic images that are as striking as they are haunting. Allen's films are always well-made, but Shadows and Fog visually like Zelig is quite unique from a visual standpoint. The music is very eerie and fits the atmosphere perfectly, in fact if anything it adds to it. While it was confusing of what tone the film was trying to go with on first viewing, on re-watch it was much clearer and that criticism seems unfair now. The dialogue is both subtle and hilarious(love the brothel scenes) with sharp homages and insight in characteristic Woody Allen vein, but even more impressive was the murder-mystery element while a really chilling atmosphere is created, helped by the visuals and music. Allen's directing is as always adept and his performance, the most memorable, is a lot of fun. John Cusack does nervous and angsty very nicely and Jodie Foster and Kathy Bates are remarkably good in against-type roles. Shadows and Fog has imperfections, Mia Farrow for me overdoes it and comes across as shrill, John Malkovich deserved much more to do and is a little wasted and Madonna is rather out of place. The story does have its drawn out and aimless patches with an ending that felt convoluted and hurried, and the characters are not very interesting, a lot of them barely in the film. To conclude however, a good film but considering how well the best assets come off it could have been more than good. 7/10 Bethany Cox

nice addition to the collection

[Movie_Man 500 · 7 November 2002]

Shadows and fog are everywhere in Shadows and Fog, one of Woody's most visually impressive pieces. One of his better chosen casts as well. (Check out William H Macy in a brief bit as a cop) Full of big ideas and classic comic bits, including all the great scenes at the brothel. Once again Woody's love of magic plays a part in the story. Some of his best zingers, too ( "They say a deranged killer has the strength of 10 men... I have the strength of a very small boy... with polio" -now that's funny.)Each character, main or brief, has a nice moment on screen, especially Julie Kavner in her best Marge Simpson voice playing Kleinman's bitter ex fiancee. She's hilarious. Loathe him or admire him: Allen always makes you think.

Under-appreciated Allen

[runamokprods · 7/10 · 3 July 2010]

Another mid-career Allen film unfairly dismissed both by critics and (I must admit) myself at the time of it's release. Sometimes with great filmmakers, we get spoiled and anything flawed or less than pure genius gets maligned for being weaker than that filmmaker's very best work instead of being appreciated for being miles ahead of most of the films that get made.

I was shocked at how much better I liked this on a recent re-viewing almost 20 years after seeing it in the theater. Yes, the super-star cameos still seem a bit distracting and self-serving, but nowhere near as much as in 1992. Yes, some plot elements work better than others, the ending is kind of clunky, etc. But this is still a great-looking, visually dense film, that manages to tread (most of the time) a very difficult tightrope of being funny and playful, while still exploring disturbing themes of paranoia, guilt, crowd mentality, religion, etc. Certainly not a great film, but a brave one more worthy of being enjoyed for it's strengths than attacked for its admitted shortcomings.

Shadows and Fog

[oOoBarracuda · 7/10 · 21 July 2017]

After completing Shadows and Fog, I found myself once again dismayed by the common claim that Woody Allen makes the same type of film over and over again. In reality, Woody has always been open to trying new and untested things both with his narrative structure and his filmmaking style. Shadows and Fog is another perfect example of Woody's penchant for diverse filmmaking. The 1991 film was Woody Allen's gentle homage to German Expressionism. Shadows and Fog pairs Woody Allen and Mia Farrow in a shadowy town that hides from a strangler that is on the loose. As is the usual Woody Allen film, Shadows and Fog is as wonderfully comedic as it is a thoughtful exercise in grappling with life's deepest questions.

Kleinman (Woody Allen) is a nebbish, nervous bookkeeper who has been pulled into a plot by a group of vigilantes to hunt for a strangler that has been terrorizing their area. A perpetually nervous individual, Kleinman wants nothing to do with a group of lawless men seeking out a murderer. Kleinman would rather stay locked in his apartment safely away from the murderer roaming the streets. To make matters worse, despite the fact that Kleinman has been roped into a group of vigilantes, information about his role in the group is being withheld from him. Sheepishly attempting to find his role within the vigilante group, all the while desperately trying to avoid putting himself in real danger, Kleinman encounters a woman in a traveling circus, Irmy (Mia Farrow) who is also attempting to find her way through life in a much more metaphorical sense. Kindred spirits, Kleinman and Irmy attempt to find a purpose for their lives, all the while trying to save them.

Shadows and Fog works perfectly as a nod to German Expressionism, with gorgeous imagery reminiscent of the greats of the genre such as Robert Wiene and Fritz Lang. Woody Allen's frequent use of black and white photography well into the 90's is a fearless maneuver that deserves uproarious applause. Woody is a filmmaker that uses a variety of film technique achieving artistic significance yet is hardly acknowledged for that. Certain aspects Woody is commonly acknowledged for are present in Shadows and Fog, for instance, it is exquisitely written and has a brilliant sound design. Shadows and Fog is another worthy mention in my crusade to prove that Woody Allen is not a filmmaker that has a clear section of "lower-tier" work, as he is often accused.

Woody Allen blends comedy & Kafka with an all-star cast

[wryroy · 7/10 · 21 August 2000]

This film is obviously not for everyone, not even for everyone who likes Woody Allen. I like it a lot, partly for the awesome all-star cast, partly for the blending of comedy (i.e., Woody's usual schlemiel self) with drama (a deranged killer loose on the streets of a fog-shrouded town at night). I'm not going to go into a lot of details on the film, anyone can pick them up between the other user comments, external and newsgroup reviews. The main reason I'm adding my two cents worth is no one seems to have noticed, or commented on one of the film's underlying themes: that of anti-semitism in Europe apparently between world wars. For instance, the "Mintz" family is picked up by the police as a convenient scapegoat for the recent murders despite Kleinman's (Woody Allen) assertion that they are "lovely people." Shortly afterwards, Kleinman goes to the local church to make a donation on behalf of Irmy (Mia Farrow) and finds the priest and a policeman making up a list of people that also includes himself. I can't quite put my finger on it, but he seems to be referring to the start of Hitler's persecution of Jews in Germany prior to WW II. Of course this theme is woven in with several others regarding marital fidelity, prostitution, insanity and the nature of mob- mentality; but it does seem interesting that everyone motivated enough to write something about this film pro or con seems to have overlooked, or intentionally ignored.

Not for everyone, but what is???

[gayspiritwarrior · 10/10 · 10 May 2003]

It's amusing to see people getting so upset at not "getting" a film others call great that they'll denigrate not only the film, but the people who made it and anyone who does like it. There seems to be a lot of that with Woody Allen. Stand-up comics aren't supposed to make great films. Fortunately, Woody doesn't care what people think he's "supposed" to do.

And make no mistake, "Shadows and Fog" is a great film. Not merely an homage to the German expressionists, it abounds in the philosophies Woody has discussed in all his films: god, love, death, sanity and craziness, honesty, cruelty, tyranny, humanity. The characters in this, one of the best of his screenplays, are all individuals, all facets of Woody's immense understanding of the common man. The scene in the brothel is stunning in its casual ordinariness. Kleinman (translation, "little man,") is all of us, in the shadow and fog of confusing times. Consider the line he delivers just before he blows pepper in the crowd's face: "I never did anything to deserve getting in trouble." The irony here is that much of the fascism that overtook Europe came because too many good people did nothing. The lesson was as significant when Woody made the film as during the time depicted, and just as significant today. A great film, 10/10.

Good Enough Movie.

[yearspew · 6/10 · 23 June 2008]

One foggy night. A killer on the loose. A circus in town. A clueless man involved in a plot to catch the killer, but what is the plot? Not one of Woody Allen's most well-known movies but it's definitely worth a look. First of all, the cinematography is brilliant, the use of black & white gives this movie a very 40's look.

Woody Allen playing, well, Woody Allen, never fails to amuse and co-starring Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, John Cusack, Madonna, Jodie Foster among others, Shadows And Fog is a highly entertaining film.

In terms of quality, it lacks essence to be one of Woody's best or most memorable but it's by no means a bad movie.

Interesting nonetheless, especially for Woody Allen fans.

Woody. Kafka. German Expressionism. What Went Wrong with this Experiment?

[nycritic · 5/10 · 9 March 2005]

Allen is not a stranger to the black and white formula. One look at MANHATTAN, for example, and you have a fantastic, classic film with first-rate performances and a focused story.

The story is typical Allen, with overlapping plots, people who in some way or other are interrelated to one another by the six-degrees-of-separation rule and only serves to somehow have Mia Farrow and Woody Allen converge in what seems to be a turning point, which later on, somehow fails to resolve itself satisfactorily. It's never known what European city this is, but the idea comes clear: Allen evokes the moody black and whites of German Expressionism (I kept thinking of M and its urban decay) and throws in some healthy amounts of Franz Kafka's THE PROCESS where a paranoia is the main theme and a man is to be convicted without knowing why.

Where SHADOWS AND FOG falters is not in the story per se: Allen packs this movie with so many big-name actors in barely there parts, there's no room to focus on the story which meanders as it is a little too much. There's a message to be expressed, but with so much satirical humor during the brothel sequence turning progressively dark once the focus goes back to the killer at large, it would have been better had there not been so much of the former and more of the latter. It remains something of a stand-alone oddity in a career filled with urban angst of the upper crust white intellectuals from his New York based movies.

Vintage Woody (either you love him or hate him there is no inbetween)

[Nimbo · 10/10 · 29 December 1998]

This excellent black and white, set perhaps in Berlin in the 20's has no conclusion, only vignettes in the period from midnight to dawn. The city is engulfed in fear. A serial killer is at large..

The camera shots illicit tension. All is shrouded in dark and murky unusual camera angles. The outdoor scenes are always somewhat blurred and slightly out of focus adding to the climate of fear.

There is no plot per se, only chance meetings between participants. Of note is the conversation in the whorehouse, stimulating and extremely thought provoking. Woody's use of a revolving camera in the shot from face around to face around to face while the girls talk and the conversation is heard no matter on whom the camera is focused, -- this is a first. The viewer needs to pay extreme attention. Moreover the background music of Kurt Weill adds so much to the ambience.

Seeing this now makes me wish wholeheartedly that Woody and Mia never had that horrible unpleasantness between them. Now the future forebodes there never being such a pairing. We all do suffer, including them.

I say this film deserves a 10 out of 10 and the critics be damned. So many critics are prone to criticize every theatrical offering of Woody just because of his personal behavior.

Rather flawed, but entertaining

[zetes · 7/10 · 5 December 2001]

Woody Allen's Shadows and Fog is just play. It's a comic take on German Expressionist filmmaking, like Fritz Lang's M, and other German art, especially Kafka's The Trial. Woody Allen plays a K-like character who is woken up by a lynch mob who want his help in capturing a serial killer, but they never tell him exactly what they want him to do. Mia Farrow plays a circus sword swallower who's fed up with her husband (John Malkovich). The story is kind of random, half of it following Allen, who ends up being suspected of the murders, and the other half following Farrow, who ends up sleeping with a man (John Cusack) for the extravagant sum of $700. The story ends up being disappointing, but it's fun. It's worth a watch. 7/10.

Woody Allen, running on fumes

[mjneu59 · 4/10 · 2 January 2011]

This so-called comedy is a rethinking of Woody Allen's own short play 'Death' (published in his 1976 collection 'Without Feathers'), transplanted to a weird, Kafka-like Middle European setting and mercilessly padded (at the expense of the humor) to allow room for several high profile guest stars, most of them in roles too small to be noticed. The effect is not unlike a student film parody of a Woody Allen comedy, following a hapless nebbish (who could only have been played by Allen himself) pressed into service by urban vigilantes hunting a shadowy killer. The familiar one-liners and stale meditations on God, sex, and death are all camouflaged behind some beautiful (if hokey) black and white photography, with transparent references to more than one film school idol: Bergman, Murnau, Fellini, and so forth. What's left is the novelty of seeing Kathy Bates playing a prostitute alongside Lilly Tomlin and Jodie Foster, and John Malkovich cast as a circus clown opposite Madonna. It wasn't meant this way, but the casting is the funniest thing about the movie.

It would kill you to be confused by a film?

[Bobs-9 · 5 March 2001]

I just saw `Shadows and Fog' for the first time this weekend, and while I can't say that it immediately became my favorite Woody Allen film, I did find it a very thoughtful and interesting film (not really a comedy), and an exceptionally beautiful film to look at.

I know this is frowned upon at the IMDb, but a lengthy and very negative review on this page of `Shadows and Fog,' along with a critique of Woody Allen in general, has gotten my dander up, and I felt like putting in my two cents. Why on earth should I, or any film lover, care about how successful a film is financially? Why should I care if a majority of movie patrons like a director's films or not? From my perspective, some of the stupidest trash makes the most money and sells the most tickets. Sure, I liked Jurassic Park -- saw it several times at the cinema, bought the video -- but not because of how much money it made, or how many other people were going to see it. It was because it was fun, and I liked it. Does that mean I should damn more esoteric directors (like Woody Allen) to oblivion? There are directors whose work I don't always understand, but God bless them, if they have the opportunity and the drive to get their cinematic vision realized, more power to them. I don't necessarily have to like their work, or go to see it. But on the whole, I'd rather be talked-up-to then talked-down-to, and being a little confused by a film has never permanently damaged anyone, so far as I know.

So calm down out there, you art-house-haters! It's just entertainment. Read your 20th century history. Limiting entertainment to its lowest common denominator has been tried and tried. No good has ever come of it, to my knowledge.

And incidentally, if you have a predilection for Woody Allen films, and like the look of old black and white expressionist cinema, give `Shadows and Fog' a look. It would maybe kill you?

Allen gets lost in a fog full of faces and names

[HuntinPeck80 · 6/10 · 11 August 2023]

The 1990s. Was this the decade when doing-a-Woody-Allen-movie became a thing that actors wanted on their resumé? It was definitely happening then. Look at the cast of Shadows and Fog: Madonna (Madonna!), Jodie "Two Oscars" Foster, John "Being John" Malkovich, John "Kick boxing" Cusack, Kathy "Norman" Bates (did she get an Oscar for Misery?), and a clutch of other thesps and wannabees on the cusp of greater fame; maybe even a young Peter "Tyrion" Dinklage, according to IMDB. From working with a small crew of reliable, talented actors, not very starry, suddenly Allen has a film full of Names and Faces. No wonder he tried to lose them in the fog.

Allen has always ploughed his own furrow, never one to do something just because it was commercial. Shadows and Fog, his biggest production in terms of set building on the lot, is both an adaptation of his play, Death (itself a comedic take on an existing serial killer drama) and also an hommage to German Expressionist cinema. Sounds good, right? Of course right.

The thing is, it isn't. Don't get me wrong, there are some amusing, thoughtful moments, ones that happen, just as in The Purple Rose of Cairo, when a thoughtful, intelligent young man enters a brothel. But these scenes are not the meat, merely the garnish, and the meat is thin, dry and stringy.

The hunt for a serial killer by first one mob, then by more than one, doesn't prove to be very funny. Allen's protagonist, Kleinman, is a non-entity, so much so that one struggles to believe that anyone would drag him out of bed to join a posse, given how ineffectual he appears to be. Despite seeing the movie multiple times I cannot recall what goes down with the travelling circus, except maybe that Malkovich's character is cheating on one woman with another, or something like that? But it all feels very by the way, by the by.

The usual vintage records on the soundtrack.

The best things about Shadows and Fog are that it brought actors like Bates and Cusack into Allen's cinema. Cusack was excellent in the celebrated gangster comedy, Bullets over Broadway, and Bates was also very good in the much later, box office smash, Midnight in Paris. Allen's reflections upon this 1991 venture, and the studio exec's' reaction to the first screening, which you can read in his autobiography, are hilariously funny. Too bad he couldn't have imported some of that metatheatricality from Stardust Memories into this feature.

Recommended to Woody Allen completists only.

Good Movie But Just A Tad Off

[TheFearmakers · 6/10 · 18 September 2021]

While SHADOWS AND FOG is a pretty good movie, and uses the titular elements that channel old British mystery novels, German Expressionism and American Film Noir, it's the second Woody Allen comedy after RADIO DAYS where the characters and dialogue, while fast-paced and clever as usual, are just a second... or perhaps a mere moment... off...

And in that, since Woody only narrated DAYS, it's the first where the man himself seems a few years too old to play the same "nebbish" character... It's like he's doing an imitation of himself, and kind of peters out in the process (after all it takes a lot of youthful energy to be so doomed and neurotic)...

His films usually have no empty spaces wherein one forgots what they're watching. Even his best work, from ANNIE HALL to CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS, leave the viewer exhausted, if only from laughing or smiling (or thinking) so much throughout....

FOG however sporadically loses touch within its own story and at times the actors seem directionless. And as strong and infectious Woody is a writer, sometimes his "guest stars" here seem to be desperately improvising (especially Johns Cusack and Malkovich... although they're also doing Woody impressions)...

On the other hand, the fact it's not as downright hilarious as his 1970's films also means it's that much more laid-back and subtle. Not a bad thing...

Despite being about a killer on the loose, it's one of his most relaxing features. And Mia Farrow steals the show by not seeming like she's acting at all.

fun to watch for some of the actors and the 'character' of the fog, but lesser Woody in my book

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 17 November 2006]

I could enjoy Woody Allen's Shadows and Fog without really taking it in as being as superior a work as his other 1992 film, Husbands and Wives. Both are a bit like cinematic experiments, H&W being a very loose and improvisational-feeling take on couples in the style of something like Cassavetes or Bergman, and S&F being an all-out homage to expressionism in Germany, with touches of Kafka, horror and film-noir (hell, that's all the film is, the latter I mean) thrown in for good measure. But watching Shadows and Fog becomes a little more tedious as it goes, and a laugh or two and the usual heaping pile of Woody wit doesn't compensate for there being only the ingredients for a story, not a connection of one. We get Woody Allen as Kleinman (or is it Klienman), who gets woken up in the middle of an ultra-foggy night to find a killer, but then finds himself on the other side of the investigation after the murder of a doctor (Donald Pleasance). Meanwhile sexual liaisons go on with John Malkovich and Mia Farrow's characters, just not with one another (one with Madonna and one with John Cusack).

All the while scenes go in and out, and Allen is without a doubt very much in love with the period, actually the period put to film, and uses style to its excesses. One example of this is Farrow's visit to a whorehouse, where Allen's camera repeatedly goes around and around in a circular move around the women in profile. There's no real reason to do it just for the sake of having a 360 shot, and this is part of what's good but unfulfilling about the picture. The style is laid as thick as the fog, where motivation is totally lost for the sake of a more 'moving' change for the characters, like Malkovich and Farrow finding the baby. There's a nice lot of whimsy with magic towards the end too. But seeing Allen in his usual nervous talky mode doesn't match up as well as he thinks it might, or that his intention might have been. It's not spoofing, because there aren't good enough jokes out of the atmosphere. I liked the Kafka side to it, and its all-star cast gets some points for sticking to the material, but it doesn't stir up much thought, or act that memorable in the way that other comedies by the filmmaker work. It's neither boring or dour, yet a trifle compared to Allen's other 'experiment' that year, which aims for much more within its limits.

Woody Allen goes Expressionist

[Coventry · 6/10 · 5 July 2010]

Although I still had plenty of unseen Woody Allen films to choose from, I really wanted for "Shadows and Fog" to be the next one in line. Why? Because, quite honestly, I never really liked Allen's style and humor and it's only since recently that I developed a new interest in his repertoire (since the discovery of the near-brilliant "Sleeper"). So, since I'm still quite skeptical towards his films, I specifically looked for the titles that feature as many of my personal favorite themes and topics as possible. The one and practically only option in that case was "Shadows and Fog". I'm a big fan of horror movies and "Shadows and Fog" deals with a serial strangler prowling the streets of a terrified city. I'm a sucker for old classics and "Shadows and Fog" just happens to be a downright tribute to the earliest years of cinema; particularly German Expressionist films and Gothic stories. I'm all into weird and taboo sub plots and "Shadows and Fog" features traveling circus freaks, shameless prostitutes and deranged vigilantes. I have tremendous respect for underrated genre actors and "Shadows and Fog" stars a whole bunch of them, like Donald Pleasance, Fred Gwynne, Kathy Bates, Daniel Von Bargen and many more. Basically, on paper "Shadows and Fog" could easily become my new favorite movie, but sadly Woody Allen only delivered a half- finished product.

Kleinman, an insignificant office clerk, is rudely woken up in the middle of the night by a bunch of overly obsessive neighbors. They formed a vigilante squad to hunt down a serial strangler and they insist Kleinman to also fulfill his part of the plan. Only … Kleinman never has a clue what the plan is all about. Meanwhile, Irmy the cherubic female sword swallower of the traveling circus, which just happens to be in town, flees from her cheating husband and ends up wandering around in the dark and foggy streets of the city. The two encounter bizarre figures separately (like prostitutes, horny students, spooky doctors and lazy cops), before they meet each other … and the killer. The atmosphere of the film is exact right. "Shadows and Fog" amazingly echoes the most vintage years of cinema, with clear references towards milestones like "M", "Freaks" and even Alfred Hitchcock's silent interpretation of the Jack the Ripper saga "The Lodger". The dialogs and humor are also quite subtle and witty, but the problem is that – at least in my humble opinion – the script doesn't fit the tone. Now, I know to expect comedy instead of frights with Woody Allen, but I can't erase the impression a better amalgamation was possible. Also, especially near the ending, the film feels rushed and becomes quite incoherent. All the beautiful and professional building up, including the re-creation of fog-enshrouded Gothic streets which allegedly cost nearly $20 million, all of a sudden feels so … purposeless! A real shame.

Allen at his Finest

[VOOKAP-2 · 10/10 · 4 October 2000]

'Shadows & Fog' is, for me, all that which makes a perfect picture. I've seen all Woody Allen's pictures, and none affects me in the same way that 'S&F' does.

The film is set in the early part of the 20th century somewhere in Eastern Europe. The opening scenes set up what will become the basic plot (and believe me, it is basic) of the film. Allen plays Klieinman, a simple clerk who is awaken by a lynch mob hell-bent on catching a killer who has taken to strangling (or slitting the throats, nobody seems sure) of the townsfolk.

As Kleinman leaves his flat in reluctant search of the killer, we are introduced to the fog swept streets of the village. It is here that we find the real character of this film. Allen uses the simple story of the hunt as a means to introduce us to us to true beauty in the night. He uses lighting and canted angles to produce a surreal setting unlike any film produced in the last half-century. Note the way light filtering through the spokes of the circus wagons reflects of the fog in a way so beautiful and haunting that it's easy to forget we're watching an 88min comedy shot on sound stages in New York.

Setting the mood as such, Allen walks us through the streets and offers a brief glimpse of the characters who inhabit the night. It seems as if the whole town is up searching for the killer, and each of them is given a short moment to offer a bit of insight and then move on. However brief, each character brings us further into the shadows and we soon feel a chill as the night air seems to fill the room.

The scene eventually shifts to a whore house where we are privy to a spectacular scene. Five women sit at a table discussing relationships, fascinating stories given that most of them are whores. Instead of cuts, Allen simply places a camera in the center of the table and revolves as the ladies converse. It's a scene reminiscent of the opening sequence of 'A Touch of Evil' of the Copacabana scene in 'Goodfellas'. Amazing.

There's so much more to say. Brecht's score is wonderful, the cast is literally one of the best of the 1990's (Cusack, Malkovitch, Foster, Macy, Riley, Shaw, Bates, Tomilin, Kavner, Pleasence), and the jokes are hilarious.

Above everything, see this film for it's namesake ... Shadows and Fog. If ever there was a homage to night and all its mystery and beauty, it's 'Shadows and Fog'.

Vigilantes, hookers, circus folks, and a killer

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 5 June 1999]

An inept man is coerced into joining a band of vigilantes who are stalking a murderous psycho. As he goes through the motions of vigilantism he falls in with a circus girl, meets a group of jaded prostitutes, becomes a murder suspect, and finally comes face to face with the killer himself. Like most of Allen's films, this one came in from left field. Go see it.

Witless fargo set in never-never-land

[Pedro_H · 4/10 · 25 April 2003]

Allen plays a Jew living in a mysterious European country (circa 1930?) who foolishly gets personally involved in the chase for a killer on the lose.

Once again Allen shows that he can get anything he wants made, even if it has all the potential of a documentary about a day in the life of ball bearing maker from New Jersey. This is really back-of-an-envelope cinema at its worst and seems designed (b&w, silly location, drawn out plot, art house look and feel) to actually keep people away.

This is a total mishmash of styles and content with so much vagary and stupidity that you quickly become as lost as Allen himself. Why would a coward go out chasing a madman down spooky streets in the middle of the night? Crazy! He follows the movie making convention of saying he regrets it straight away (and then again and again and again!) - but this doesn't explain anything Woody!

In this world of smoke and mirrors he meets a few bizarre characters and the world is put to rights (while making amusing asides), but is this really enough? Naturally he has enough clout to bring in talent in minor roles and we do get a few jumps and bumps (ALA Bob Hope), but hardly enough to warrant the ticket price.

The film was a major box office flop, but I feel Allen was making the thing to make sure that people stayed away and kept away in any case...

Little Man's Night Out

[Galina_movie_fan · 8/10 · 2 June 2007]

I like Woody Allen's "Shadows and Fog" and I think it is seriously underrated. Shot in a beautiful B/W this surreal Comedy / Mystery / Drama / Thriller takes place in a small town somewhere in the Eastern Europe between two World Wars where a mysterious maniac stranglers the people all over the town. Since the local police proved to be helpless, the citizens form vigilance committees and a small timid insignificant bookkeeper Kleinman (his name is translated as "Little Man") is recruited to search for a murderer in the dark night full of shadows and fog. Allen parodies German Expressionists (Fritz Lang), Franz Kafka, and Ingmar Bergman ("Magician") in this funny, scary, warm, dark, surreal, and dramatic film that he saw as a metaphor for humanity, as we all muddle through the murk and attempt to find meaning. The cast is all brilliant and includes Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, Madonna, David Ogden Stiers, Michael Kirby, John Cusack, John C. Reilly. Lily Tomlin, Jodie Foster, and Kathy Bates appeared in the cameos playing prostitutes in the local brothel. I was especially impressed by John Malkovich - never expected him be as tender as in the final scene.

meandering Woody

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 25 January 2016]

Bookkeeper Kleinman (Woody Allen) is awakened by a vigilante mob with a plan to catch a serial strangler who always strikes during foggy nights. He goes to the morgue to ask the doctor (Donald Pleasence) about the plan. After he leaves, the doctor is killed by the strangler and he fears a glass will point to him.

In a traveling circus, sword swallower Irmy (Mia Farrow) discusses leaving with her clown boyfriend Paul (John Malkovich). She catches him cheating on her with tightrope artist Marie (Madonna). Irmy runs away and is taken in by prostitutes (Lily Tomlin, Jodie Foster, Kathy Bates). Jack (John Cusack) pay her $700, an outrageous sum, to sleep with her. The police raids the whorehouse and they are brought to the station where Kleinman steals the glass.

This is a meandering tale. Its black-and-white style points to the old German silent movies. It's stock full of big actors in small roles. It has bits of funny moments, mostly Woody with Mia. Woody is playing around with the style. There is no murder mystery since the killer's face is shown. It doesn't make for a compelling story but it's an interesting exercise nevertheless.

Pretentious But Entertaining

[Handlinghandel · 5/10 · 3 December 2005]

I was having chemotherapy when this came out and don't actually remember its even existing. And, to be honest, it barely does exist. It has lots of superb actors. It's shot with great atmosphere. But it is a little of this and a little of that and not much of anything in the end.

Mia Farrow is charming as a waif. Allen as the central character is annoying. He wrote and directed it so who am I to criticize? But, though the plot doesn't make much sense, it appears to be a very serious movie. And here he is, doing his usual shtick as a (supposedly) lovable nebbish.

The brothel scenes are the movie's highlights. The prostitutes -- Lily Tomlin, Kathy Bates -- are cast against type but are very funny and believable. John Cusak is also cast against type as a bookish but sexually ravenous student. He seems to have independent means and pays Farrow, who has been given refuge by the girls, a large sum even by today's standards.

Allen writes very well and is a superb director. None of his movies are uninteresting. This one is somewhat amorphous but has many fine sequences.